Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has taken a sharp political swipe at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of showing disrespect to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and stoking dangerous rhetoric as Kenya prepares for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, CS Murkomen condemned Gachagua’s public criticism of the police boss, saying such attacks undermine national security institutions and can fuel instability ahead of a critical electoral.
Murkomen said repeated attacks on security leadership and the undermining of law enforcement in public discourse were unacceptable. “We will meet those inciters face to face and let them stop disrespecting the Inspector General — he is not their child. Kanja and the entire police leadership deserve respect, and there must be decorum,” he stated emphatically.
Without naming Gachagua at first, Murkomen said policy debates should focus on ideology and development, not tribal or personal barbs. “All political leaders should sell policies to the people. Why are you obsessed with tribe? I serve every Kenyan equally,” he said, underscoring his belief that some critics are pushing narrow ethnic agendas ahead of national interest.
The Interior CS also explicitly rebuked recent comments and behaviour from Gachagua and others whom he accused of attempting to inflame ethnic tensions. Murkomen said such tactics have no place in Kenya’s political landscape and warned that leaders found to be stirring up conflict would be held to account.
Murkomen’s comments follow a flare‑up between the government and Gachagua, who has publicly criticised IG Kanja for what he describes as inaction and avoidance in addressing allegations of police brutality and politically linked violence. Gachagua’s camp claims Kanja has refused to meet them and instead sends junior officers, a claim he says reflects a deliberate disregard for accountability.
In his own statements, Gachagua threatened to mobilise mass protest, vowing to return with tens of thousands of supporters if the IG did not engage with him and respond to grievances over clashes at a church event in January that left several vehicles in his convoy damaged.
Murkomen, however, dismissed such threats and insisted Kenya would not slide back into the kind of ethnic violence witnessed during the 2007–2008 post‑election crisis, which left the country reeling and hundreds dead. “Everything we experienced in 2007, I will never allow such cases again,” he said, clearly signalling his resolve to safeguard peace and security.
In urging political actors to focus on policy, integrity and national unity, the Interior CS also reiterated the government’s stance against what he called “the politics of war” — including the use of organized gangs or goons to intimidate opponents or disrupt public order. Such actions, he said, would attract legal consequences regardless of political affiliation.
Murkomen’s remarks come at a sensitive political juncture, with the country gearing up for elections that analysts warn could be marred by heightened ethnic division if not carefully managed.
His message to leaders — sell policies, respect institutions and shun tribal lines — was clear and unequivocal, setting a tone for what he describes as a more orderly and issue‑based political contest ahead of 2027.
